Posted on the The Gasparilla Inn & Club website on July 8, 2024
Amanda Houdek — Executive Pastry Chef
Executive Pastry Chef Amanda Houdek was born and raised in Hendersonville, NC. Her mother shared her love of cooking and baking, which helped inspire Chef Amanda to pursue culinary arts at Asheville-Buncombe Community Technical College in Asheville, NC. After graduating with her A.A.S. Degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, she began her career in Asheville at The Bistro, an open kitchen concept restaurant connected with America’s most visited winery located on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate.
Chef Amanda gained valuable leadership experience at Filo Pastries, a European-themed bakery, as kitchen manager. At the same time, she furthered her development in specialty chocolate and sugar work studying in with Ewald Notter and John-Pierre Wybauw in Orlando, FL, and Johan Martin in Charlotte, NC. She then moved on to the Omni Grove Park Inn to plan and prepare desserts at both The Edison and The Vue Restaurants. Located in Asheville, the Forbes four-star resort is the home of the National Gingerbread Contest.
Having refined her pastry skills, Chef Amanda spread her wings and relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she worked with Executive Pastry Chef Adam Thomas for seven years at the Broadmoor Hotel as Pastry Sous Chef & Chocolatier. She prepared desserts for the five-star Penrose Room and assisted with the opening of Cafe Julie’s, the hotel’s Parisian Patisserie.
During her tenure, she created pastries, chocolates, and showpieces for the cafe and resort. One of her favorite activities was conducting informative pastry and chocolate classes for both guests and staff members.
While at the Broadmoor, Chef Amanda was named the 2022 BOH Employee of the Year by the Colorado Restaurant Association. She appeared on the Disney+ show Foodtastic, Rocky Mountain PBS, FOX Colorado and has been featured in multiple publications.
In 2023 Chef Amanda decided to go on an adventure by moving across the country to join the culinary team at The Gasparilla Inn & Club. She knows this extremely talented and creative team will continue to challenge and inspire her skills as a pastry artist and chocolatier. She, her husband, and their adorable toddler love spending time together at the beach and in the Florida sunshine.